


Taking Flight

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Mages and Familiars [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, The Daisuga background fic no one asked for, The violence is for later chapters, there will be a happy ending I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-17 21:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5886175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After failing to summon a familiar, Daichi goes into the nearby forest to think and meets a young potential familiar named Sugawara.</p><p>Or: Suga Promises Not to Eat Daichi's Soul but Steals His Heart Instead</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Taking to the Forest

Daichi didn't meet the guards' eyes as he passed them on his way out of the Windswept Guild Hall. He didn't want to see how the older mages would look at him, whether it was pity, or disapproval, or anything else. He knew that his summoning ceremony had been common knowledge, even though technically no one was supposed to know when young mages were going to be given a chance to summon a familiar. Everyone had expected him to get several answers to his call, since his magic was more about connections and foundations then flashy displays of power. Powerful Windswept mages often had a hard time getting familiars, since they were so arrogant about it, but normally, an average enchanter like Daichi would be able to get at least one offer during the ceremony.

He made his way out of town, into the forest, where he was unlikely to run into any other Windswept mages. He wandered aimlessly until he found a small clearing carpeted in flowers and thick grass. He lay on his back, eyes closed, and replayed the ceremony in his mind. The senior mages had given him a summoning circle, and he'd added tokens for each type of potential familiar: a set of symbolic pendants he'd made himself, intended to help his magic catch the attention of any and all potential familiars who might want to become bonded familiars. He'd recited the chant he'd been taught, and broadcast his magic, searching for anyone who would answer.

No one had responded.

Daichi sighed and sat up, grimacing. This wasn't helping, and the grass wasn't as soft as he had hoped it would be. He was about to stand up and look for another place to relax, maybe somewhere with less spiky grass, but paused when he noticed a bird perched on a fallen log nearby. It had soft gray plumage, sharp talons that reflected the sunlight as the bird shifted a little, a curved, pointed beak, and sharp, intelligent brown eyes. Daichi smiled and stayed where he was, watching the bird. He noticed a single black feather on the birid's head, next to its eye. It looked like a hawk, but he'd never seen a gray hawk before. Were there gray hawks? He couldn't remember reading about them in the Windswept library. He shook his head, derailing that train of thought before it could even get started. He did not want to think about anything to do with Windswept right now.

His attention returned to the bird, only it wasn't a bird anymore. Daichi gaped at the young man who was calmly sitting on the log, right where the gray hawk had been. The stranger's brown eyes were bright, intelligent, and cheerful, matching the smile that curved his lips upward. He had gray hair, and there was a mole right where the one black feather had been.

"What brings a mage out here to the forest?" the stranger asked, his voice light and friendly. Daichi searched for words. He didn't want to admit his failure to a complete stranger, but he wasn't sure exactly what to tell him.

"I had a rough morning," Daichi said after a moment. "I'm Sawamura Daichi. I hope I'm not trespassing on anyone's territory," he added, remembering that the forest was the domain of the potential familiars, and not all of the residents liked it when mages entered their territory without permission. "If I am, I'll leave."

"Well, you are trespassing, but there's no need to leave," the stranger replied. "I'm Sugawara, but everyone calls me Suga. This clearing is at the edge of the crow group's territory, but they let me stay here, since I'm not part of a group."

"You live here?" Daichi looked around, but didn't see any sign of a house or anything.

"I don't need a lot of food, since I'm a demon, and it's easier to find shelter when I'm in hawk form, so I don't really need any kind of structure. Besides, I think it would interrupt the clearing's beauty to build something here," Suga commented. Daichi found himself nodding, agreeing with him. "By the way, the best place to lay down is on that flowery patch over there." Daichi followed the demon's gaze to a large area covered in delicate-looking flowers a short distance away. When he hestitated to get up, Suga smiled and got off the log, then made his way over to the patch of flowers and flopped down. Several petals flew into the air, knocked from their flowers by the impact. "Come on. It's much softer over here."

Daichi stood and walked toward him. For a moment, he stood over the demon, looking down at him.

"You're not going to eat my soul or anything, are you?" Daichi asked. Hadn't he read something about unbonded demons eating people?

"Where did you hear that?" Suga laughed. "I don't eat souls any more than you enchanters do." Daichi blinked; how had he known what kind of mage he was?

"Some enchanters use people's lives in their spells," Daichi informed him, sitting beside him.

"Really? I didn't know that," Suga replied thoughtfully. He gave the mage a sideways glance and added, "Are you one of them?"

"Absolutely not," Daichi said firmly. "Blood and death isn't my thing. I stick to the basics: charms, pendants, that sort of thing." Suga tilted his head, studying Daichi for a moment.

"I thought all Windswept mages were into blood and death," the demon said quietly.

"How did you know I'm a member of Windswept?" Daichi asked.

"You have the Guild's emblem on your shirt," Suga replied, amused. Daichi blinked and looked down at his clothes. He'd just grabbed the first items of clothing he'd found when he changed out of his ceremonial summoning robe, and hadn't realizing he was wearing one of his embroidered Windswept shirts.

"Oh." He wasn't sure what else to say, but he felt like he needed to assure Suga that he wasn't like the other Windswept mages. He didn't lust after power to blow his enemies away, and he didn't think familiars were inferior, and he just wanted to be a good mage, not necessarily a famously strong one.

"Why are you a member of Windswept?" Suga asked, closing his eyes and tilting his face into the sun contentedly.

"Because they noticed my magic and took me in, trained me, raised me," Daichi answered. Suga hummed thoughtfully, and Daichi found himself smiling. He laid down and murmured, "You were right. This is a much softer place."

"Of course I'm right," Suga replied cheerfully. "The sun comes down at just the right angle most times of the day, too." Daichi closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth on his face. They stayed like that for a while, occasionally commenting on some aspect of the clearing or asking each other questions. As the sun reached the point that the tops of the trees lining the clearing started to block out the light, Daichi sighed and sat up.

"I have to get back to the Guild Hall," the mage said. Suga let out a soft hum, acknowledging his words. Daichi hesitated, watching the demon as he considered how best to ask what he was thinking.

"If you're going to ask if you can come back, the answer is yes. You're good company," Suga told him. Daichi blinked, then grinned.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon!" Daichi stood and brushed grass and flower petals off his clothes, then started the walk back to town. He glanced back before he left the clearing, and saw Suga sitting up, watching him go. Daichi waved, then hurried back to the Guild Hall, the calm that his afternoon with the friendly demon had given him dulling the dread he felt about going back. He might have failed the summoning, but that was okay. He just needed to work harder, and next time, he would surely be able to call a familiar. He was sure of it.


	2. Taking Responsiblity

Daichi grinned as he stepped into Suga's clearing and saw the demon sitting on the fallen log, waiting for him. The enchanter held up the basket he had carried all the way from town, and Suga beamed, hopping off the log and heading for their favorite patch of flowers. It had been several weeks since Daichi had first visited the demon, and he had returned almost every day since then, telling the senior mages that he was going into the forest to hone his magic so that next time he was given a chance to perform the summoning ceremony, he wouldn't fail. After about two weeks, he had started buying food in town on his way, bringing various foods that he liked or that he thought Suga might enjoy. He'd discovered that the demon adored anything spicy, and the more his eyes watered and his mouth burned, the happier he was. Daichi shook his head and set the basket down, still not sure why Suga was so fond of having his tongue practically catch fire.

"Did you bring me-"

"Yes, I brought you your weird spicy tofu," Daichi answered before the question was finished. Suga's grin grew.

"You're the best, Daichi!" he exclaimed, eyeing the basket eagerly. Daichi laughed and eased the blanket from the bottom of the basket. He'd enchanted the cloth after the first week so it wouldn't get dirty when they sat on it for their meals. Suga waited until Daichi's back was turned and his attention was on spreading the blanket beside their flower patch - never on it, because that would kill the flowers. The pair usually ate on the blanket, then laid on the flower patch and talked through the afternoon. They had sparred a few times, too, and Daichi discovered that while he was considered competent among the Windswept mages, he was nowhere near as skilled as Suga when it came to physical combat. Suga wasn't as sneaky as he seemed to think he was, though, Daichi noted as he let go of the blanket with one hand and snatched the basket out of Suga's reach with the other. Suga grumbled, and Daichi set the basket down again, then finished spreading the blanket and sat on it. Suga sat beside him and pulled the basket closer, situating it between them.

"The snakes didn't cause any trouble last night, did they?" Daichi asked as he took the food out of the basket. Suga shrugged and snatched the container marked as containing his spicy food.

"If they did, the crows handled it quietly. I didn't hear anything," the demon answered, wolfing down several bites before the spices caught up with him and his eyes watered. Daichi laughed and handed him a canteen. Suga gratefully took it and drank. Daichi turned his attention to his own food. "Have the senior mages mentioned giving you another chance to summon a familiar?" Daichi had told Suga about his failure soon after they met, but neither of them had brought up the possibility of Daichi trying to summon one again since that initial conversation.

"No, but I think it might happen soon," Daichi answered. "I had to showcase the improvements in my magical and physical combat skills this morning, actually. The senior mages seemed pleased. Practicing by enchanting things I actually use has helped. So has our sparring," he added.

"I'm glad to hear that," Suga replied. "But if you had an evaluation this morning, you should have stayed at the Guild Hall and rested! You must be exhausted!" Daichi grinned, finishing his food.

"And miss out on a picnic with you? I wouldn't dream of it," he said lightly. "Besides, coming out here and talking with you is more refreshing than anything I could do at the Guild Hall." Suga shook his head, apparently not believing the mage. "Seriously, Suga. My only other friends are mages, and they're nice and all, but..." He paused, trying to think of how to express his thoughts. "You're different. With my fellow mages, everything is about the magic, the next evaluation, and we can't exactly complain about Guild policies or practice. At least not too often."

"So you're saying you want to come out here and talk my ear off complaining about your bosses," Suga laughed. Daichi made a face at him, and Suga's laugh grew louder. Daichi couldn't help but smile; he'd gotten very attached to that laugh. All of a sudden, though, Suga stopped laughing, his expression darkening.

"Suga? What is it?" Daichi had learned weeks ago that Suga was excellent at sensing magic of all sorts, whatever its source - mage, nature spirit, demon, even magical animals - and when Suga tensed the way he was right then, it meant he sensed someone he either didn't know or didn't like.

"There's a mage headed this way," Suga said quietly. "And he's got a strong familiar with him." Daichi frowned. In the weeks he had been visiting Suga, the demon had only sensed another mage in the area a few times, and they were mostly unbonded or just passing through. "I think they're tracking your magic, following the same path you did when you came from town. The familiar is a demon in dog form, and its leading the way."

"Maybe Windswept finally decided I'm not allowed to practice out here on my own," Daichi replied. "Or something happened, and they want me back at the Guild Hall for some reason." Suga tilted his head.

"If that were the case, would the mage have an enchanted weapon with him?" Suga asked. Daichi felt the blood drain from his face.

"Suga, you should hide," the enchanter said. "I know why they're here; I'll take the basket and blanket and go to meet them." Suga frowned.

"Daichi? Why are they here?" the demon asked. Daichi shook his head.

"If they're following my path, they're from Windswept. And Windswept mages only carry enchanted weapons when they're intending to fight and kill another mage," the enchanter said. "And if they're here to kill me, and you're here, they might kill you, too. So you need to hide, and I'll lead them away." Suga stared at him, jaw set stubbornly.

"Unless you haven't told me something, you haven't done anything wrong. Why would they kill you?" the demon demanded. Daichi sighed.

"I don't know. But whatever I did to make them decide to punish me, I won't let you get hurt because of it." His words weren't having any effect; he could tell by the determined glint in the demon's eyes. "Look, Suga. Whatever's going on is my responsibility. You shouldn't get involved." Daichi set about gathering the blanket and tucking it into the basket. Or, rather, he tried to. Suga was still sitting on the cloth, his arms crossed.

"Too bad. You can't come here almost every day for weeks on end and then tell me not to get involved," the demon snapped. Daichi scowled, wondering how close the mage and familiar pair had gotten in the time they'd been arguing. If one of them had magic that allowed them to gain speed, then they could arrive any minute, despite the huge area covered by Suga's sense range.

"Suga, listen to me-"

"Daichi, I mean it! I'm not-"

"So I was right. You have been getting involved with a potential," a sneering voice commented. Daichi whirled toward the source of the voice, recognizing it. Aone, the leader of the Windswept guards, one of the most powerful earth mages Windswept had. "Since you're so friendly with a lowly little stray dog like that, surely the senior mages won't object if I kill you like one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Aone is probably ooc, but I have a reason! He'll get developed in a later fic and become more like the Aone in canon.


	3. Taking the Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who stuck with me after Aone's oocness at the end of last chapter. I promise there's an explanation, and things will get better.

Daichi threw himself sideways as the ground around him erupted, dirt and rock spraying everywhere. He hit the ground and rolled, trying to avoid the debris and only partially suceeding. He looked around for Suga and found the demon's gray hawk form circling overhead. As the spray of earth settled, Suga landed beside Daichi, returning to human form.

"Something's wrong," Daichi muttered, reaching for his own magic and using it to deflect the energy Aone sent through the ground.

"You mean besides this guy trying to kill us?" Suga muttered, shifting so he was behind Daichi, where he wouldn't get in the enchanter's way, but watching for a chance to jump in.

"Yeah. Aone doesn't talk that much," Daichi replied. "And he's usually more neutral toward familiars and potentials, not hateful." Another wave of energy hit, and this time, Daichi wasn't able to deflect it all. Suga noticed the surge of energy rippling through the ground, noticed that Daichi tried and failed to stop it, and grabbed the mage's shirt, yanking him sideways, out of the path of the energy. The ground they'd been standing on an instant before erupted. Daichi grunted as a rock struck his cheek, and Suga hissed as one hit his shoulder. "And Aone doesn't have a familiar," Daichi added. "Unless he summoned one after I left."

"There's magic between them, but I'm a little busy not dying to get a good read on it," Suga replied grimly. "Hang on, I'll try to take out the familiar." Daichi tensed at the demon's words.

"Suga, wait!" But the demon was already leaping forward, his form blurring and shifting to that of a gray hawk and soaring across the distance between himself and the dog who had been hanging back, away from the fight. Daichi took a step toward them, but was sent flying as his momentary distraction gave Aone an opporunity, and the earth mage took it, slamming him with a wave of dirt. Daichi fell, soil surrounding him from all sides. He struggled to redirect the energy, but a shriek from Suga's direction made his blood run cold. "Suga!" He craned his neck, squirming against the earthen coccoon he was now trapped in. When he saw Suga, though, he went still. The demon was in human form, apparently having decided he could fight better that way. Whether that was the right choice or not, Suga was now flat on his back, pinned in place by the canine familiar.

"He'll pay for getting above his place," Aone's voice announced. The earth mage moved forward, and the canine shifted, baring its fangs and exposing Suga's neck.

"No! It's my fault! He didn't want to be around me, and I made him meet with me!" Daichi shouted. Aone paused, and the canine familiar tilted its head. "I thought, if I could get him close enough to me, I could get him to be my familiar." The dog snorted, and Aone made a similar noise at the same time. Daichi's eyes narrowed, but he kept talking. "It would've worked, too, if you hadn't come barging in!" The familiar huffed, and Aone turned to study Daichi.

"Very well," Aone said. "You can die instead." The earth mage stepped toward the enchanter, who stared up at him, wishing he'd thought of a better plan. Then he saw the device attached to Aone's belt. It was enchanted, and a weapon, but not the kind of enchanted weapon the Guildmaster would give someone headed to execute a rogue mage. That was a shield, one that only on-duty guards used. If Aone had it, then he was supposed to be on duty. He shouldn't have followed Daichi, he shouldn't have attacked. Not that Aone was really the type for this kind of mission, even if he was off duty. Something was very, very wrong.

"There's supposed to be a trial, first," Daichi blurted out, not sure what else to say. The dog growled, but Aone paused, his brow furrowing. "Instead of executing me, you should take me back to the Guild Hall for trial. The senior mages and the Guildmaster can always execute me later."

"You'll try to escape," Aone growled. The words were short, cut off as though he was struggling not to say them.

"No, I won't. I failed again. I deserve to be put on trial. I won't resist at all, I swear. But don't kill the potential. He could be useful to someone else," Daichi added, the dog's ears pricked up at that, and Aone nodded, but didn't speak. Instead, the caccoon around Daichi fell away until only a band of dirt pinning his arms to his sides remained. Aone hauled him to his feet, and Daichi let him. He had to cooperate, or they might come back for Suga. They might come back for him anyway, but hopefully Daichi's cooperation would give the demon time to flee.

"Daichi," Suga's voice rasped, so quietly that the enchanter almost didn't hear him. Daichi looked at Suga, met his searching brown gaze, and saw determination in it. "You can't take the blame for this. I-"

"As if a mere potential could be responsible for my actions," Daichi said, forcing his tone to be sharp and cruel. Suga flinched, eyes widening. Daichi wanted to take it back, wanted to undo everything since Suga had sensed Aone and the dog. He wished he'd taken Suga and run. Maybe they could have escaped. But he couldn't do any of that. So he had to settle for this. For making sure that Windswept wouldn't come back for him.

It seemed like it was working. Aone pushed him forward, guiding him in the direction of the town. Daichi stared at the ground in front of his feet, trying not to stumble. Aone paused at the edge of the clearing, and Daichi looked over his shoulder just in time to see the dog's teeth flash before sinking into Suga's shoulder. The demon screamed, and Daichi started to step toward him, but Aone's hand on his shoulder stopped him. A moment later, the dog trotted to them, leaving Suga clutching a heavily bleeding wound, and Aone pushed Daichi into the forest, away from the injured demon.

Daichi hung his head as he walked. He'd tried to protect Suga, and he'd failed. Yes, the demon was alive, but for how long? A wound like that would need a healer's attention quickly, or it wouldn't heal right. If it healed at all.


	4. Taking Initiative

Suga waited until he couldn't sense Daichi or the mage and familiar who had attacked them anymore. Then he carefully got to his feet. He needed a healer if he was going to be able to do anything to help Daichi any time soon. Wasn't there a healer with the group of crows? Suga bit his lip as he approached the border of the crows' territory. Minutes after he crossed the invisible line that marked the beginning of the crows' section of the forest, a man with black hair and glasses stepped into his path.

"Suga? You're hurt!" he said with a frown.

"Shimada," Suga whispered, recognizing him. "They took Daichi. I have to help him." Shimada's frown deepened.

"Daichi? The enchanter who's been visiting you?" When Suga nodded, Shimada sighed. "All right. You're here to see our little healer, right? This way," he added. Suga followed him deeper into crow territory, the wound in his shoulder throbbing. By the time they reached small clearing similar to Suga's, the demon's shirt was soaked with blood, and he was swaying where he stood, dizzied by blood loss. Shimada reached out and steadied him, then gently guided him to sit on the ground, leaning against one of the trees lining the little clearing. "Yachi! You have a patient!" A moment later, a blond girl entered the clearing from the far side. When she saw Suga slumped against the tree, the froze. "It's okay, Yachi. You remember Suga, right?" The girl nodded and crossed the clearing, her steps tentative as she approached the injured demon.

"Who attacked him? What if they come here?" she whispered, eyes wide with fear. Shimada rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know, but Suga said they're gone. He needs help, Yachi. Can you heal him?" The girl nodded, her face pale with nervousness, and knelt beside Suga. The demon groaned in pain when she lifted his hand from where it had been clutching the wound.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. Suga mumbled something that sounded like it was supposed to be reassuring, but his voice was too faint to make out exactly what he said. Yachi's hands shook as she placed them on either side of the bite. Her cheek managed to get even paler when she saw the wound through the torn material of his shirt.

"You can do this," Shimada said confidently. Yachi nodded, biting her lip in concentration. Golden mist flowed from her fingertips into the wound. Suga whimpered as the wound began to close, and Yachi flinched, the golden mist faltering. Shimada patted her shoulder reassuringly, and the mist resumed. Finally, Yachi lifted her hands from the demon, the torn, bloody shirt and the blood on the girl's fingers the only signs that Suga had been injured recently. Yachi nearly toppled over, but Shimada caught her and lifted her into his arms. "You did great," he told her, carrying her to the far side of the little clearing, where the trees concealed a small shelter where she slept. He settled her into her shelter, then returned to Suga, only to find the head of the crow flock, Ukai, standing over the gray haired demon, who seemed to be deeply asleep.

"Who did this?" Ukai growled. "The other forest dwellers know better than to attack someone at the edge of our territory."

"I'm guessing Windswept," Shimada answered with a grimace. "Suga said they took that enchanter friend of his." Ukai's expression darkened.

"That enchanter is too good to be part of that Guild," Ukai grumbled. "You've seen how he is with Suga. He doesn't buy into Windswept's views on potential familiars." Shimada nodded.

"Suga wants to save him," he said quietly.

"Not surprised. Actually, the only thing about this that surprises me is that Suga hasn't offered himself to the enchanter yet," the crow leader sighed. "I want you and Takinoue to scout Windswept. Keep it quiet, but see if you can find out where Suga's friend is. Don't get caught." Shimada nodded and turned, leaping into the air and changing to his crow form. He let out a sharp caw, and a second crow rose from the nearby trees. Together, the two of them flew towards the town. Ukai sat a short distance from Suga, where he could keep an eye on the demon and the young healer asleep in her shelter across the clearing.

Suga's eyes opened slowly several hours later. He tensed, not recognizing his surroundings for a moment. Then memory came rushing back, and his hand flew to his shoulder, finding torn fabric and dried blood, but no wound.

"Finally awake, huh?" Suga looked up and found Ukai standing over him. "Shimada and Takinoue did some scouting. Your mage is confined to quarters. He's apparently pretty battered, something about making an example when he got back, but he's alive." Suga swallowed hard. Daichi hadn't been too injured when he'd let them take him away. Windswept must have decided he wasn't hurt enough. "Hey. Suga. I was wondering something." The demon looked up. "Why haven't you offered to be the enchanter's familiar yet?" Suga frowned.

"That's none of your business," he replied. Ukai raised an eyebrow.

"You wore out my healer with that dog bite, and two of my crows did recon for you. I think you owe me an answer," the crow leader said flatly. Suga sighed.

"I didn't offer because he didn't ask. We had a good thing going, and I didn't want to ruin it." Suga shrugged and got to his feet. "You said he was confined to his quarters. Do you know where that is?"

"What, you think I've got a floor plan of Windswept's Guild Hall? No, I don't know where that is. But with your skill at sensing magic, you shouldn't have a problem finding him. Good luck," Ukai said. Suga stood and stretched, testing his shoulder. It was a little stiff, but he could do this.

"Thank you," he said. Ukai nodded. Suga shifted to his gray hawk form and flapped his wings, soaring above the treetops. He circled once, getting his bearings, then angled himself toward town and flew.

Minutes later, Suga was slowing, circling the building that had to be the Windswept Guild Hall. There were too many mages and familiars inside for it to be anything else. He focused, searching for the steady, reassuring feel of Daichi's magic, and found it on the top floor of the Guild Hall. Suga dove, throwing his wings up to slow his descent just in time to land neatly on the windowsill closest to where he could sense the enchanter. The demon tilted his head, peering into the room on the other side of the glass. Daichi was sitting on a bed, hunched over and holding his ribs. Suga's feathers fluffed furiosly. From here, he could see that Daichi's cheek was swollen and bruised, as were his arms in multiple places. From the way he was sitting, Suga suspected his torso was littered with bruises, too. Suga brought his beak to the window, and Daichi tensed at the sound. The mage's gaze swept the room, then froze when it reached the window and saw the gray hawk perched on the sill.

The enchanter's mouth moved, and even though no sound came out, Suga could see his name on his lips. Daichi stood, wincing, and walked to the window. As soon as the mage opened the window, Suga hopped inside and returned to his human form.

"Suga? What are you-" Daichi broke off, staring at the blood still caked into the demon's torn shirt.

"I'm fine. The crows healed me. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," he added, scanning the mage and taking inventory of his visible wounds.

"You shouldn't be here," Daichi snapped. "If they find you here, they'll hurt you."

"Like they've already hurt you?" Suga replied. "I can't just leave you here, Daichi."

"Yes, you can, and you have to. You're not safe here," the mage insisted. Suga gave him a smile and patted his uninjured cheek lightly.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm not leaving. The problem is that you were hanging out with a potential familiar, right? Well, there's a way to fix that," the demon said calmly. Daichi's eyes widened, and Suga met his gaze steadily. "You never asked me, and I didn't know why, so I never offered. But I should have. Then this wouldn't have happened."

"Suga, I can handle this. You don't have to-"

"I'm Sugawara, a demon," Suga interrupted, still holding the mage's gaze. "And I want to stay with you and protect you." He'd done his part, formally offered himself as Daichi's familiar. Now it was up to Daichi to accept his offer and form the bond.


	5. Taking the Offer

"I want to stay with you and protect you." Daichi stared at Suga, who stared right back, every inch the determined demon. The enchanter knew it was his turn to say something, knew that Suga expected the next words out of his mouth to be an acceptance. Daichi's eyes fell from Suga's face to the bloodstained, ripped shirt he was wearing. Suga had been hurt because of Daichi, and the enchanter didn't ever want that to happen again. So, heart in his throat, Daichi answered.

"No, Suga. I can't."

For a long moment, the demon was silent, eyes wide in disbelief. Then they narrowed in anger.

"Why not?" he demanded. Daichi looked away. He couldn't face him.

"Go back to your flower patch, Suga," the enchanter said grimly. "You can't stay here." Suga didn't move. He wasn't sure he could, even if he wanted to. He didn't understand. Was it because of how much pain the enchanter must be in from his wounds? Was he afraid of being punished?

"If getting a beating is all it takes to get you to go along with what they want, I'm surprised you even came to the forest to begin with," the demon whispered. Daichi flinched.

"That's not it," Daichi protested, making the mistake of turning back to face Suga. Once his eyes met the demon's, he couldn't make himself look away again. "That's not it," he repeated softly. Suga's brows drew together.

"Then why? If you're not afraid of what they've done to you, then why won't you accept me?" he demanded. "What, am I not good enough for you?"

"You are good enough! More than good enough! Meeting you is the best thing that's happened to me since I joined Windswept!" Daichi shouted, wincing as putting that much effort into his words made his injured ribs protest. More quietly, he added, "And I'm not afraid of what they've done to me, or what they might do to me in the future." Suga's eyes searched his, confused and hurt. Once again, Daichi wanted to take his words back.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Suga asked, his voice more bewildered and pained than angry now. Daichi sighed. If he was going to reject Suga, going to send him away, then he at least owed the demon the truth.

"I'm afraid of what they did - and might do - to you," Daichi admitted. "If they're willing to beat me to make an example of me, even if something was off with Aone when he attacked us, what would they do to you if they had you? You've already been seriously injured once because of me. I won't let it happen again." Suga's hand went to his shoulder, where the dark stains stood out as a reminder of what the dog familiar had done.

"So you don't want me to be your familiar because you're afraid I'll get hurt?" Suga asked. Daichi didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Suga's expression cleared, and he let out a shaky laugh. "I'm the potential familiar. It's my job to protect you, not the other way around. Besides, I got healed. You're still a walking mass of bruises." Daichi grimaced, and Suga gently guided him back to the bed, careful not to put any pressure on his wounds. "Sit, before you fall over." Daichi obeyed, staring at him as he did so.

"They'll be coming to tell me what punishment the senior mages have decided on soon," the mage said. "You need to leave." Suga shook his head and sat on the chair at Daichi's small desk.

"Nope. I'm not leaving without you. I came here to help you, and that's what I'm going to do. Maybe I'll tell them I possessed you and made you bring me food and stuff," Suga mused, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Considering you thought demons eat souls, they might believe me."

"They'd kill you if they believed you," Daichi snapped. "And even if they didn't, they might kill you anyway, or force you into a bond with a mage so they can control you." Suga seemed oddly pleased by that.

"Really? In that case, I guess it's not safe for little old me to be here," he hummed. "Unless, of course, someone else were to take me as a familiar before they get here." Daichi gaped at him.

"This isn't a joke," the mage growled. "How can you be so calm?" Suga's eyes pinned him in place, sudden intensity making him seem less like the sweet young man Daichi had spent weeks in the clearing with, and more like a dangerous demon.

"I'm not calm. At all. I'm furious," Suga informed him. "You're trying to protect me, but you don't realize how much that hurts. I'm a demon, not a songbird. I'm fine with being protected, but it has to go both ways. You can't expect me to let you take all of the punishment that Windswept is so eager to hand out." For a long moment, the two stared at each other, each waiting for the other to speak. It was Suga who broke the silence. "Of course, if you really don't want me around, then I'll leave. I'll stop trying to convince you to accept me as your familiar, and I'll leave. But I'll stop and talk to the guards on my way out, convince them that you don't deserve any further punishment." Daichi could see in the demon's eyes that he meant every word, including leaving if Daichi truly didn't want him.

That was what did it: the possibility of Suga actually believing that Daichi didn't want him around, didn't want to spend time with him, didn't want _him_. Suga stood and took a step toward the window, only for Daichi to reach out and grab the hem of his shirt. The movement made his bruised body complain painfully, but it worked. Suga didn't take a second step.

"I do want you," Daichi whispered. "As my familiar, as my friend, as..." He couldn't finish that sentence, because he wasn't sure where it was going. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to see you get hurt." Suga gently pulled Daichi's hand from his shirt and twined his fingers with the mage's.

"Then don't," the demon said softly. Daichi studied their intertwined fingers for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"Can I change my answer, then?"

"No." Daichi froze. "But I will offer again." The enchanter let out a sigh of relief, and Suga smiled to himself, then leaned down until their foreheads were touching. "My name is Sugawara, and I'm a demon who would do anything to stay with you and protect you," he murmured. This time, Daichi didn't hesitate.

"I, Sawamura Daichi, choose the demon Sugawara as my familiar," the enchanter replied, channeling his magic to the places their skin touched: hands and forehead. "As a symbol of our bond, I name you Koushi." The bond settled into place in the backs of their minds, and Suga let out a pleased hum.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" the demon teased. Daichi grumbled, but he was smiling when Suga pulled back.

"Don't say that until we know what the senior mages decide," the mage warned. His familiar squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Whatever it is, we'll face it together," Suga replied. Before Daichi could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Daichi called, turning towards the door as it opened. Two guards Daichi didn't know were there. They tensed when they saw Suga, wind stirring around one and mist gathering around the other. "Relax. He's my familiar now," Daichi said, hoping that would keep the guards from attacking. They exchanged wary glances, and then the wind and mist dissapeared.

"We'll have to report this to the senior mages," one of them said. "Don't try to leave the room - either of you."

"Don't worry, we won't," Daichi assured them. The door closed, leaving the enchanter and his familiar alone again.

"While we're waiting, let me have a look at your wounds," Suga urged, turning to the mage. "I want to make sure there's nothing too serious."


	6. Taking Off

"Our six months are almost up," Suga mused. Daichi nodded and flopped onto his bed. Suga at on the edge, looking down at the mage.

"I never knew so many things around the Guild Hall were enchanted," Daichi complained. "It feels like I've been renewing enchantments forever." Suga laughed and reached out to run his fingers through the mage's short hair.

"We're lucky they just confined us to the Guild Hall for six months," the familiar pointed out.

"And I'm lucky I don't have to remove the old enchantments myself," Daichi agreed, closing his eyes. "Before we bonded, I didn't know you were so skilled with getting rid of enchantments." Suga shrugged.

"Sensing magic and canceling it are my strong suits. I do have to physically touch something to get rid of the magic in it, though," the demon commented, his fingers still combing through Daichi's hair.

"Think you could do it to a mage?" Daichi asked. Suga paused, his fingers twitching in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think you could suppress a mage's power?" the enchanter asked.

"That's something I'm unwilling to find out." Mage and familiar tensed, their gazes shooting toward the door. Two mages, one lightning and one water, if Daichi remembered correctly, stood in the doorway. Their familiars - a leopard for the lightning mage and a heron for the water mage - stepped into the room. Behind them, a girl lurked. A moment later, she was gone, replaced by the black dog familiar that had been with Aone that day in the clearing.

"I was starting to wonder if I'd imagined that," Suga muttered. "Daichi, I can sense magic flowing from the dog to the others. Let's put your idea to the test, okay?" Daichi nodded, and stood, grabbing the blanket from his bed as he did so. The lightning mage struck first, a bolt of electricity accompanying the leopard as it dashed forward. Daichi sent a surge of his own magic into the blanket in his hands, a strengthening and deflection spell he'd used countless times on various items in the Guild Hall during their nearly six months of probation. The blanket flapped seemingly of its own accord, and the lightning struck the fabric and dissapated. The leopard lunged, claws and fangs bared, and Suga, in his hawk form, shot out from below the flapping blanket, right between the leopard's outstretched paws, and returned to human form in the instant before he collided with the other familiar, his shoulder slamming into the feline's chest and sending it sprawling backwards. The lightning mage shot another bolt at them, but the leopard's reeling form was between Suga and the lighting mage. At the last moment, the lightning curved to avoid hitting the leopard's spotted hide. Suga;s feet hit the ground, and he launched himself forward again, switching back to hawk form and flaring his wings, bringing his talons up as the heron familiar attacked, its beak deflected by Suga's talons. The demon let the momentum of the collision spin him around as he changed back to human form once more. Daichi tossed the blanket, and the enchanted fabric settled over Suga's body an instant before a barrage of icicles hit him. Suga gripped the blanket and threw it, using it as a barrier between himself and the attackers. The leopard, who was now between Suga and Daichi because of Suga's continuous movement toward the mages in the doorway, regained its footing and lunged for the demon.

"Bad kitty," Daichi growled, grabbing the leapord's tail and stopping it in its tracks with a stiffening enchantment he'd developed after a senior mage complained that the tapestries in one of the halls flapped too much when a wind mage used their power. Meanwhile, Suga was in hawk form again, this time flying above the blanket-shield, then diving toward the attacking mages. Lightning and ice shot toward him, but he twitched his wings and rolled in the midst of his dive, angling between them instead of at one of them. He shot through the gap between them and returned to human form yet again in the same moment, and collided with the black dog still lurking in the shadows. At the first touch of his hands on thick dark fur, he called to mind the feeling of dispelling the old enchantments, paving the way for Daichi's magic. The dog yelped and collapsed, and so did the four attackers. The flow of power from dog to attackers vanished.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Suga spoke.

"The dog was controlling them somehow. Do you think that's what happened to Aone?"

"Probably. He has told me multiple times that he doesn't remember that day at all," Daichi replied, making his way to Suga, picking up the enchanted blanket on his way. Suga shifted, pinning the dog in place despite the apparently unconscious condition it was in. The dog's eyes flashed, a bright violet that made Suga blink a few times in surprise, wondering why he hadn't noticed before. The enchanter draped the blanket over the canine, and Suga removed his hands as Daichi added another enchantment to the fabric, which wrapped itself around the dog, securing it in place. "That should keep things calm for a while," Daichi sighed. A groan drew their attention to the mages and familiars that they had been fighting moments before, who were apparently stirring.

"What...?" The lightning mage rubbed his temples. Daichi exchanged a worried glance with Suga, then addressed the mages.

"Everything's okay," the enchanter said. "But if one of you could fetch the Guildmaster, that would probably be good."

Hours later, after explaining their theory to the mages and familiars who had been affected, the senior mages, and the Guildmaster himself, Suga and Daichi returned to their room with assurances that the dog would be taken care of, and the announcement that their probation was officially over.

"I've never heard of a potential familiar who could do that," Daichi muttered, collapsing face down onto the bed. Suga laughed and took a seat beside him, just as he had before the attack.

"At least it's gone," he pointed out. "And since we're off probation, tomorrow we can go to town, or maybe even into the forest." Daichi rolled over to smile up at his familiar.

"We could have a picnic in the clearing again, if the crows haven't given it to anyone else," Daichi suggested. "I'll even buy you something extra spicy on the way." Suga beamed and flopped onto the mage's chest, earning a grunt of surprise, followed by a laugh. They lay like that for a moment. Then Daichi's fingers found their way to Suga's cheek, brushing his skin lightly. Suga leaned into the contact, a pleased hum escaping his lips. He lifted himself enough to meet Daichi's eyes, and the mage's fingers slid upward, brushing the mole near his eye. "You were amazing. You actually managed to get rid of the dog's magic," Daichi murmured. "And you fought really well."

"I've been sparring with some of the other familiars while you've been doing chores for the senior mages, remember? I never tried getting rid of someone's magic while they were using it before, though," Suga added thoughtfully. "So really, you're the amazing one, Daichi." The enchanter's palm cupped his familiar's cheek, his thumb almost brushing the corner of Suga's mouth. "Daichi?"

"Hey, Suga, I've been thinking. About you. Not just your magic," Daichi added when Suga raised an eyebrow. "And there's something I'd like to try."

"Oh?" Suga's eyes danced playfully. "And what would that be?" Daichi's gaze dropped to the familiar's lips, and Suga grinned. "Ah, I see." Suga tilted his head, until their lips were almost touching but not quite. "So you finally figured out that we aren't like most mages and familiars in Windswept." Daichi blinked, and Suga grinned. "We've always been closer than most pairs, at least around here, since before we actually bonded. So, about that thing you wanted to try..." Daichi's cheeks were tinted red, though he wasn't sure if Suga would notice, since they were so close and all. Deciding that they could discuss their relationship as mage and familiar and what exactly was different about them in a few minutes, Daichi tilted his head, closing the last whisper of distance between their lips.

He wondered if this was how Suga felt when he flew, because Daichi suddenly felt lighter than he had in a long time.


End file.
